ZMG Isuzu, Sechaba Milling launch Independence Drive

—–to celebrate country’s 60th Independence Anniversary 

Moroke Sekoboto

LOCAL enterprises, Sechaba Milling Company and ZMG Isuzu Lesotho, have launched the Independence Drive 1000, an expedition covering 1000 kilometres across all 10 districts of the Kingdom timed to end on 4 October – the day Lesotho turns 60 years independent.

The three-day journey begins on 2 October 2026.

Speaking at the launch at ZMG Isuzu premises in Maseru this week, Sechaba Milling’s Temoho Lekhotsa said the expedition was built around a simple idea: celebrating independence by demonstrating what Lesotho could build, produce and move forward.

“The Independence Drive 1,000 is a three-day journey covering about 1,000 kilometres across all 10 districts of Lesotho as part of the country’s 60th Independence celebrations. The campaign brings together local manufacturing, transport, community engagement and national storytelling. It is a practical expression of a Lesotho that produces, builds, feeds and moves its own people,” Mr Lekhotsa said.

He said the campaign was also a response to the use of Lesotho’s landscapes by foreign brands without acknowledgement, and to the dominance of imported food brands over local producers.

“Our mountains are not just a backdrop; they are our home. At the same time, imported food brands continue to market products made outside the country as though Basotho cannot produce their own staple food,” he said.

Mr Lekhotsa said the expedition would also generate content and media coverage, with the possibility of growing into an annual 1,000-kilometre adventure platform beyond this first edition.

“Isuzu will demonstrate the strength and reliability required to travel through Lesotho’s demanding roads and mountain terrain. Sechaba Milling Company will represent local production and the ability of Basotho businesses to supply the nation with products made at home,” he said.

He urged other corporates to mark the anniversary in the same spirit.

“Stand alongside two businesses with a permanent footprint in Lesotho and reinforce a message of local production, local capability and keeping more value within the country,” he said, adding that organisations wishing to join the expedition as strategic partners were welcome to do so, with partnerships “structured around clear brand association, approved campaign visibility and agreed participation, rather than automatic product use or physical inclusion in the convoy.”

ZMG Isuzu Head of Marketing Eric Raboletsi said the partnership brought together “two Basotho businesses sharing the same road” – one that feeds the nation, the other built to move through its terrain.

“Today we announce the 1,000km Drive Challenge, taking place from the 2nd to the 4th of October, powered by ZMG Isuzu and Sechaba Milling. A thousand kilometres across Lesotho, through our districts, documented from start to finish so that Basotho can travel the route with us,” Mr Raboletsi said.

“For us this is more than marketing. It is what happens when Lesotho brands back one another. Sechaba Milling proves the strength of local manufacturing. We intend to prove the strength of the vehicles that carry it,” he said.

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